Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Weather and wildlife

10 years ago we were loaded with wildlife in my area. Deer, coyotes, and smaller stuff like armadillos, foxes, rabbits, possums, skunks and quail were abundant. Fire ants were a PITA.

My approx. 1.75 to 2 acre pond became a 1/4 acre muddy mess. It's now full and some fish survived. My forage pond almost dried up but I restocked. The BG got hurt but the GSF did OK. My spring fed creek dried up and is now running. No idea whether the springs are fully recharged.

We went through 5 years of severe drought. I doubt that I averaged over 15 inches per year. All populations, with the exception of hogs and coons, dropped significantly. I went several years without seeing snakes.

Due to the high price of grass hay, ranchers severely culled their herds with the resulting high price of beef. Some people turned their horses out on the roads. They couldn't afford to feed them. Now, cattle prices are dropping but the price of beef at the store is still ridiculous. Like the Godfather said "It's just business". The price of horses has gone up quite a bit but I'm through with them.

Two years of floods have brought about a change in some species. Fire ant beds are everywhere. I'm hearing coyotes again before daylight. Other species should also be rebounding but I have no idea how long it will take for some of them.

I'm seeing quite a few rabbits so the coyotes ought to be OK. Hawks also seem to be rebounding. Quail are non existent so I don't expect them to rebound. I'm still not seeing many possums, skunks, etc. I've recently had a close call with a couple of rattlesnakes so I guess they're doing OK.

I've seen a couple of herds of 8 to 10 does on the back roads. I'm hoping they rebound. I'm seeing more turkeys.

I got close to 70 inches of rain last year. I've probably had 40+ inches this year. The jury is still out on Fall rains and next years weather. But, at this time I'm fixing my roads and trying not to whine too much about too much rain.